President Barack Obama speaks to the media, as National Security Adviser Susan Rice, left, and House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio listen.

Written by

Susan Davis and Tom Vanden Brook
| USA Today

President Barack Obama's hopes of winning congressional backing for a military strike against Syria received a huge lift on Tuesday when two top House Republicans announced their support.

Both House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., endorsed Obama's call for action against Bashar Assad's regime following a meeting with Obama and other lawmakers at the White House.